Les Grand Doms...

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In an odd twist of fate, perhaps the two greatest men in American entertainment named "Dom" died within days of each other earier this month.

Comedian and Chef Dom DeLuise died on May 5th, and Red Sox slugger Dom Dimaggio, Joe's brother, died on May on May 8th.

I was born and lived in Oswego in upstate for the first 10 years of my life, from 1955-1965.  The Red Sox/Yankee rivalry is legendary.  As Joe's brother, Dom held a unique place in the hearts of many New Yorkers.  While Dom's stellar 10-year career in the majors ended before I was born, he was still a frequent topic of conversation amongst us boys as we celebrated the Mantle-Maris era in the early 1960s.

I used many baseball cards in my bike spokes in those years, and, yes, of course, the Red Sox players were the favs.  I can say without hesitation, though, and some sadness, that I used some Topps 1962 Maris cards in my spokes- which were the ones that celebrated the "61 HRs in '61".    In mint condition, the card is worth over $ 600 these days.

Dom was one of the most-underrated players in MLB history.  In ten years, he had a .298 BA (he hit .328 in 1950), an OBP .383, an SLG of .419, and was appointed to 7 All-Star teams.

Dom DeLuise was a favorite of mine.  It was in the The Replacements where John Madden spoke for all of us portly guys: "I love it when a fat guy scores, Pat!"

That's right.  A fat guy not just made good, but made great!

Blazing Saddles.  The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.  Cannonball Run.  History of the World Part I.

They speak for themselves, as does his fine work as a chef.

The world is just a little less special with the loss of these two classy guys who made us smile and laugh.

SRT